Have you been injured in an accident involving a semi-truck? Was someone you love hurt when one of these enormous trucks crashed into them? These are some of the most dangerous vehicular accidents on the road. That’s for many reasons, not the least of which is that these vehicles are gigantic. Many of them can weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds, which means when one crashes into your vehicle, the results can be devastating. Belal Hamideh, a truck accident lawyer in Los Angeles California, can help.
Belal and his team of attorneys have helped clients deal with truck accidents throughout Los Angeles and Southern California for many years. We understand how challenging these times can be, so we do everything in our power to make the process easier, always guiding you toward a successful outcome. Our goal is to help you to receive the maximum compensation, always. You can schedule a free consultation through our site or by giving us a call. Se Habla Espanol.
What to Do After a Los Angeles Truck Accident
In the immediate aftermath of a truck accident, you may be in shock. Hopefully, you aren’t injured after the accident. Unfortunately, too often, passengers, pedestrians, and others are seriously hurt by trucks in truck accidents. We do recommend that you reach out to an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible. However, the steps below are what you should do right after an accident. Once you’ve completed them, then reach out to us.
Get Your Vehicle Out of Harm’s Way
This is the first thing you should do, provided that you’re able to do so safely. If it would be too much of a risk, or if you can’t move, then do not do so. But, if you can do it without putting yourself and/or others at risk, move your vehicle to the side of the road or some other safe place. To the extent that you’re able, check on others in the car, to see who may be injured.
Call the Cops
The next step is to contact law enforcement. You should do so even if it seems that no one was hurt, or if it was just “a fender bender” or something similar. In the moments after an accident involving a truck, it may seem as if you and your vehicle are fine. Still, the best course of action is to contact the police. Calling law enforcement is the right thing to do for many reasons, including the fact that the cops can file a report which will back your claim with evidence.
Seek Medical Treatment
Hopefully, no one suffered any injuries whatsoever in a truck accident. Alas, that’s rarely the case. Often, there are no external, visible injuries to any involved party, only to discover later on that there were internal injuries and worse. By getting medical attention as quickly as possible, you can receive proper treatment faster, providing a better opportunity for recovery. Additionally, receiving medical treatment can be a great benefit to your eventual accident claim.
Acquire Other Parties’ Information
If you are able, you want the insurance information in addition to the contact information of any other party. The truck driver, others who may have been hurt, and so forth. In fact, get the information of everyone involved. That could include witnesses as well. This can only help your eventual case.
Collect Evidence if You Can
Don’t worry about getting evidence if it’s impossible for you to do so safely and without risk. However, if you can, use your phone and take pictures as well as video of your injuries, damage to your vehicle, and damage to the environment (such as dents, skid marks, and more). Remember: much of that evidence will be fixed quickly, so you want to document it while you can.
Contact a Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer
Once you’ve done all of the above, the next step is to reach out to an experienced attorney. We recommend you contact us as soon as you are able. That way, we can get to work on your case quickly, helping you to receive maximum compensation in as little time as possible.
Common Truck Accident Causes
Truck accidents can have any number of causes. Many of the cases we’ve handled over the years have been caused by some combination of:
Speeding
In some cases, to meet stringent deadlines across long swaths of road, truck drivers may drive too fast, not allowing for proper distances to slow down, stop, and the like.
Fatigue
Even the best truck drivers find, over time, a significant drop-off in their decision-making prowess and reaction times when driving for excessive periods of time. Some may even fall asleep while driving.
Distracted Drivers
Texting, watching screens, eating, phone calls and more – there are many ways that truck drivers can cause accidents simply by not putting all of their attention on the road.
DUI
Intoxicated drivers, “high” drivers – too many get behind the wheel in this state, leading to an accident.
Truck Defects
Many truck accidents can be caused by parties that were not there at the time of the accident. Any defect from a manufacturer could be the reason for a crash.
Incorrect Loading
Those who load cargo onto a truck may be liable for an accident if they loaded too much, didn’t secure the cargo properly, and so forth.
Truck Maintenance Issues
Maintenance issues can cause truck accidents, such as steering issues, poorly-kept brakes, wheels, and the like.
Environmental Factors
Ice. Snow. Downpours. Gales. Environmental conditions cause accidents throughout the country.
Regardless of the cause of your truck accident, our team can represent you to the best of our ability, helping you to receive everything you deserve.
The Injuries You Can Claim After a Truck Accident
After a truck accident, you can claim economic as well as non-economic damages. Economic damages cover medical bills you may have accrued due to the accident. This covers bills for medical treatment, counseling therapy, transportation (such as an ambulance ride) and more. This can also cover compensation for modifications that may need to be made to your home, for in-home care, accessibility additions, and similar costs.
Additionally, you can recover lost wages for money you would have earned at work had you been able to continue working. You can also receive money if you are unable to return to work as well.
Non-economic damages can take many forms. You can receive compensation for any pain and suffering you endured, as well as emotional distress, loss of quality of life, loss of consortium (in this context, your spouse’s companionship) and more.
When you reach out to us for a free consultation, we’ll go over your case and see how we can help you. From there, we’ll tell you what your case is worth. Then, we’ll get right to work, representing you as aggressively as possible so that you get everything you should.
Why You Should Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accident cases are some of the most challenging. As they’re so complex, victims can find it next to impossible to successfully represent themselves. Moreover, trucking companies do everything in their power to protect themselves from lawsuits and liability. They have the resources to hire an army of investigators to go to the crash site instantly, working with the insurance company to make certain you receive as little as possible for all that you’ve been through.
Plus, there’s often more than one defendant in a truck accident case. Yes, the driver may be liable for the accident. However, the truck’s manufacturer could be, as could the trucking company, whoever loaded the truck’s cargo, the company who leased the truck, and many other parties.
One way we’ve been able to help so many of our clients in the past is through our thorough investigations, finding all of the liable parties and bringing a suit against them. That way, we give our clients the best possible opportunity to receive maximum compensation from everyone that caused their injury.
$450,000 – Truck Accident Settlement
A recent case we settled showed just how dangerous truck accidents can be. Our client was the victim of a collision between a truck and a car, suffering multiple injuries. In this multi-vehicle accident (also called a “chain reaction”), our client was in neither the truck nor the car that was struck. Instead, our client was in a vehicle in front of the car.
Even after proving that our client suffered serious injuries from the collision, the insurance company offered only a paltry amount of a few thousand dollars, far below what our client was entitled to.
Fortunately, our client brought the case to us and we were proud to take it. We represented our client aggressively, negotiating a settlement after a 12-hour mediation session. This eventual amount was much, much more than the tiny amount the insurance company has tried to get our client to sign for. In the end, the confidential settlement was for $450,000.
Finding Who’s Liable for Your Truck Accident
In a vehicular accident, there are usually two parties responsible: the other driver and their insurance company. However, in a truck accident, there could be many other parties who are at fault. Yes, often, the driver of a truck will be liable, but many of them are independent contractors, working for others, either private companies or the government.
Beyond the other driver, their insurance company, the manufacturer, those who loaded the cargo and more, it’s entirely possible that a mechanic who worked on a truck that malfunctioned and caused an accident could be liable. Potentially, the owner of the crash site could be liable, depending on if they were responsible for the conditions that caused the accident.
We help our clients to determine all of this and more. When we take your case, our team of investigators gets right to work, determining exactly who was at fault and to what extent. From there, we’ll be able to put together an aggressive case that can help you to receive all of the compensation you deserve from everyone responsible.
Can I Receive Compensation Even if the Truck Accident Was My Fault Partially?
Absolutely. Even if you were at fault partially for your truck accident, you can recover compensation, damages, and so forth. “Comparative negligence,” as it’s called, lessens your recovery proportionally based on how much of the accident you are liable for. To use an example, if you are, say, 40% responsible for the accident, then you will receive 40% less compensation than you would have had you not been at fault.
Truck accidents are challenging for so many reasons. As the driver of a vehicle, or a pedestrian, you have limited actions to be able to avoid a semi-truck that’s barreling at you. Despite your best efforts as a driver, a truck accident can occur. Our team can work around the clock to make certain that you receive the compensation you should for your accident, regardless of who is at fault.
Belal Hamideh: Truck Accident Attorney in Los Angeles California Who Wins
When you work with us, there’s no fee unless we win your case. So, it’s always in our best interest to make sure that you win your case and to do everything to make that happen. Beyond that, our fee is almost always taken out of your compensation. We can even connect you to certain medical care providers who also work on contingency. They can provide you medical care that you won’t have to pay for until you receive your eventual compensation.
Over the years, we’ve taken on trucking companies time and again, winning for our clients. Now, we can do the same for you. You have nothing to lose by reaching out for a free case evaluation. You can reach us through our site or by giving us a call.